CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) has announced that Antoni Sapina Grau of Brunel University and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, and TÜV SÜD Wallace Whittle have won the Graduate of the Year and Employer of the Year accolades at its Young Engineers Awards.

Antoni Sapina Grau was crowned Graduate of the Year for his presentation on problem solving with technology, after facing off against eight other graduate hopefuls giving five minute presentations on the theme of 'Computers and digital technologies are transforming the way engineers work. What impact do you think this is having on innovation; professionalism; and traditional engineering skills?'

Antoni will now receive the first prize of a trip to the ASHRAE Winter Conference in Las Vegas, with the two runners-up, Katie Ewing of Atkins and Scott Mason of Lochinvar, receiving cash bursaries from the Rumford Club, while the Manly Trust presented cheques of £100 to the other finalists.

Also awarded on the night was the Employer of the Year accolade, which recognises employers who have done the most to recruit, train and support young engineers. This year’s overall prize was won by TÜV SÜD Wallace Whittle. Meanwhile in the individual categories the Large Employer of the Year was Atkins, the Medium Employer of the Year was TÜV SÜD Wallace Whittle and the Small Employer of the Year was Method Consulting LLP

The Young Engineers Awards recognise excellence both in young graduates themselves and the employers who are working to encourage young talent. The Awards seek to reward the innovative thinking, hard work and skill that is necessary to secure a bright future for the built environment.

CIBSE president John Field said: “The Young Engineers Awards are a powerful force in encouraging the best and brightest, taking young engineering talent and challenging them to address some of the industry’s biggest issues to benefit humanity.

“This year’s competition has been extremely tough, and the industry is clearly in good hands with such an able crop to take it forwards. What is most important now is that we nurture that talent and ensure that we support our young engineers early on in their careers, and help them to have the best possible start in their professional lives.”

This year’s Young Engineers Awards were presented at a glittering ceremony at IMechE’s headquarters in London, in which the prospective Graduate winners gave short presentations to the judging panel. This was followed by the annual ASHRAE Presidential Lecture given by the Society’s resident Tim Wentz who was visiting from the USA.

The awards are supported by three leading international engineering institutions – CIBSE, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and are sponsored by Andrews Water Heaters, Ruskin Air Management and Waterloo Air Products. The event is also supported by the CIBSE Patrons, a group of businesses that collaborate to give financial and technical backing to CIBSE.